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Are We Observant? |
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Monitoring patients for signs of clinical deterioration and then activating appropriate resources to care for them is the basis of Medical Emergency Teams. The most difficult part of initiating the team is what is known as the "afferent arm" e.g. identifying the patients in need. Different methods have been developed, including Early Warning Scores (EWS), which is a method of scoring observations and vital signs that indicate potential deterioration. However, the score can only be calculated if the patient is properly observed. But how often are vital signs and assessments performed as per protocol? This question was asked by the group that developed EWS some years ago in Portsmouth, England. Their findings- vital signs protocols were followed 47% of the time on day shift and 24% of the time on night shift. As Michael Buist, one of the pioneers in MET team development editorialized, patient observations are too often not taken, taken incorrectly, or not acted upon. |
